I don't want to start a fight with you Mike, your a great forum member. But if you look at the GNCC race results from this year, none of the Polaris machines posted a faster lap time than another utility in any other class. In fact at Big Buck, several Kawasaki's ran in the Utility Unlimited class and beat the Scramblers. So I don't think that the Utility Unlimited is strickly setup for Polaris because they dominate. The fact is that they don't.

Once again, I don't want to start a fight. I myself am a racer, and just want to post the facts. I in no way have anything against Polaris. ATVer's are all on the same team.

 

ok, so, now its yamaha that the magazines love... first it was honda now it is yamaha.let me think. you are saying that just because the magazines talk more aboutthese brands more than polaris.

Maybe its because polaris doesn't make a dam* racing machine. Face it, these magazines love low weights and good handling. Polaris has neither of these qualities. Are you saying if the polaris frame and weight characteristics were on the honda that the magazines would still go with the honda? I think not! They go for the machines that fit the requirements they set.

The sp is a prime example. If it said honda on the side it would still be the winner, if it said suzuki on the side it still would. because , in their opinion IRS and a strong motor and agility is all they needed. its not brand names that win shoot outs. its the machines

and you like atv sport so much, how about the shootout between the ds, raptor, 400ex, and the scrambler 500 a while back? the scrambler got crushed! i mean jeeze they took a small double on the thing and the frickin axle broke in three pieces! now THAT is probably what EVERYONE wants in a sport quad.

fact is that all of these magazines are not biased and they will ocntinue to give honest shoot outs because if they were biased they would loose ALL of their readers that didn't owon hondas and they would lose all hope of EVER getting money from any other companies. ya, sounds like a good business strategy to me, you must be right.

 

Hey Tim1;

Send me an e-mail or post your current address on your signature. I've been trying to get a-hold of you.

 

Hey Chris,

No fight wanted here! If you're right, you're right and I'm wrong. I'm a pretty easy guy to get along with. I'm just wondering what they had to do to make the Kawasakis compete. I guess we'll never know what is going through the heads of the AMA racing guys. I mean, what class could I compete in if I wanted to (frankly, I'm too old and out of shape to be doing racing)? Are all Polaris machines limited to the Utility unlimited class?

Sorry about the questions, but I think it's one of the things the magazines never bothered explaining.

C-Ya!

 

Mike,

I don't know all the rules, but here are two things that I found in the rulebook.

Maybe the Utility Unlimited class is for utility quads with plenty of aftermarket add-on's advailable for use. With more add-on's, they may feel it is not fair to run stock, minor modded, and fully modded quads in the same class.
Scrambler's don't come with racks. Not a true "sport", not a true "utility". But plenty of up-grades if you have the cash.... Who knows?

 

Mag500,

I think you may have a point there. The one about the high performance machines. If Polaris ever comes out with a high performance machine that at least equals the current crop as far as specs, will they get an even break? I'm willing to bet that they don't. There's always that nagging question of reliability. Granted the machines they made in the past were pretty crude (I'm being kind here), but the newer models have a lot going for them in the Sport and Sport/Utility class.

I never said theat ATV Sport was perfect, I said it was better than the Hi-Torque rags. In fact that article you mentioned was a joke. They should have NEVER done it. Like I said before, you just can't mix classes and try to compare them. I think the negative feedback they recieved will keep them from doing it again.

I think it's a combination of advertizing dollars/yen and the fact that the VAST majority of Californians DON'T own Polaris machines. I mean they aren't exactly ripping up the dunes, are they? If the vast majority of Californians don't own Polaris quads, well then they have to be unpopular every where else too, right? I think it's the old California mindset of "We are the trend setters, follow us!" sort of deal. If they aren't doing it first, then it isn't worth doing. Well, to paraphrase an old saying, I don't care how they do it in California. I'll do it my way and they can do it theirs.

 

Chris,

Thanks. I'm still in the dark as to what they had to do to those Kawasakis to make them run with the Polaris machines for that round and the one after. One thing is for certain though. The Kawasaki 650s WON'T have to do that much in the motor department to be competative in the U/U class.

 

If you want a good laugh, go back a couple of months. They did a shootout between the TraiBlazer, 250ex, and a Mojave. they praised the 'Blazer throughout the article, then gave the win to the EX.

 

About the only reson I buy ANY of the rags anymore is to check out the after-market advertising, Buying a quad is like buying a truck, I dont give a damn what anyone says it is LIKE to drive it, I want to know first hand before I commit to anything, In my opinion small bore quads for adult riders is rediculous, they list the price of the Suzuki at $4899, I mean really not to much more Imagination will tell you what another grand will do for you in the 4x4 market and at the $4899 you can buy just about any sport machine that will go above and beyond that thing, For some reason every manufacturer is flooding the market right now with not to competitively priced out-dated crud!! Im not sure but all these 250 and 325 four strokes for 4 grand plus has me scratching my head somtimes, It seems since they introduced the DS650 and the Raptor they had to counter with a new crop of snails!!

 

My favorite line in that particular article was: " The Polaris had trouble making it up over the hill with out bogging down." Now, anyone out there who has ever ridden a Trailblazer up over ANY steep hill will admit that it will lose traction BEFORE it will bog down. Just more horse manure from the people who don't know what it's all about. Yet in this months article, the Xplorer 250 couldn't keep from spinning it's tires. Mind you, this is the SAME motor that is in the Trailblazer but with a heavier frame. Did someone just repeal the laws of physics here and not tell me?

Second, what is this fascination with EBS? I've ridden Celeste's brother's Sportsman and found it to be complete nonsense. I found that you couldn't coast the Sportsman and you sure don't get thrown over the handle bars when you let off the throttle. It seems to me like it is just another point they like to gripe about. I've never felt the need EBS on my Sport (not that it would do much good on a two stroke) or Trailblazer. I just can't get over how much they supposedly love it, or gripe about not having it. I'm probably missing something here, but my arms are quite capable of pulling a brake lever (or in our case four brake levers, two for each machine). I personally think the split brake system is a much better idea.